Pathfinder school district hopes for budget with no increase, no layoffs

PALMER - If employee unions help out, Pathfinder Regional Vocational-Technical High School hopes to have a "0 percent increase" budget for next year without layoffs.

Superintendent Gerald L. Paist has unveiled the $12.4 million budget which was approved by the School Committee in February that is a 1.76 percent increase over this year's budget.

"I've been here 35 years and this is the lowest budget increase I can ever remember, for obvious reasons," Paist said.

But he told representatives of the district's eight member towns he hopes to lower the number to 0 either through efforts of the unions or through layoffs. Letters have been sent to the three unions that represent teachers, teachers' aides and custodians, but no response has yet been received, Paist said Monday.

Teachers are scheduled to receive a 4 percent increase in the next fiscal year, the final year of a three-year contract, Paist said.

However, even if a 0 percent budget moves forward, the town of Palmer is facing a major increase in its assessment, Paist said. With the 0 percent budget, Palmer will be assessed $1.7 million, a 23 percent increase over last year.

With the current 1.76 percent increased budget, Palmer would be assessed $1.8 million, a more than 29 percent increase, he said.

"It's tough for Palmer right now. We're trying to the best we can," he said.

Only two other member towns, Monson and Warren, are facing increases, but they are between 6 and 7 percent. The five other towns will have assessments that decrease between 12 and more than 51 percent.

Town assessments are based on the number of students who attend - and Palmer has had an increase of 18 students - as well as minimum contributions required by the state and set using a complex formula that takes into account a community's property valuation, income level and growth rate.

Six of the eight member towns must approve the budget for the assessments to become final. Town meetings for seven of the towns will be held between April and June.

To achieve savings with costs such as health insurance rising, Paist said every department head was asked to cut their budget by 10 percent. Much of the school's equipment purchases, capital expenditures and building maintenance money were cut, he said.

"We figured this year we'd have to do without it. It's not a pleasant thing to do," he said.